Mountain Trail @ Kamikochi, Nagano

Landscape photography isn't and will never be my thing, I always tell my photo friends that I only like to shoot things that move. Going to Kamikochi (上高地) is an exception, it's one of the places that doesn't have a major landmark (IMO), but the whole place itself is quite an experience. After boarding a train at Shinjuku station, it took us a few changes and 4.5 hrs to arrive. After googling around, I sort of realize what to expect from this trip: greenery, walking trail, fresh air and lot of hikers (during the warm season).

Beside the excessive amount of rain over 1.5 days since the time we arrived, the trip was a great escape from the city; fine hotel at a great location which is right by Taisho Pond (photo below), lots of cool & fresh air, good company and nice 15+km exercise. If you seek for a nature escape from hectic Tokyo life, Kamikochi will not let you down. Please make sure to take your garbage home after the trip, they need a lot of resources to keep the place clean and pure.

Monkey Kingdom- Lots of ニホンザル around the area, it feels like entering into their home. Those guys are really friendly and don't really care about our presence.

After the heavy rain on 1st day, I woke up early the next day for some light exercise and morning photography. It was the right call, I had a chance to capture this calmness of the nature at Taisho Pond. The place looks stunning at different times of the day.

Various kinds of animals can be found in Kamikochi and they are surely accustomed to human.

As the sun rises, the scenery around the pond becomes more dramatic with the cloud reflection, what an amazing place to see.